Got a new gadget for Christmas? What to do with your old one

In with the new, and out with the old!

More than 17.4 million Android and Apple mobile devices were activated on Christmas Day, according to a recent report. And if you were one of the lucky recipients of a new phone or tablet, you may be wondering what to do with your old gadget.

You can always hand it off to your kid, or a young relative, or just stuff it in a drawer somewhere. But if you sell it, you may make enough money to keep you in apps for years.

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Nextworth.com, a website that pays money for your old gadgets, is offering up to $160 for an iPhone 4 (32 gigabytes) in good condition, and up to $244 for a Galaxy SIII (16 GB). You can earn as much as $265 for selling your iPad 3 (32 GB) Wi-Fi, and $244 for an iPhone 4S (32 GB).

The website Gazelle.com also offers a trade-in service and has similar pricing. For example, the iPad 3 (32 GB) Wi-Fi will get you an estimated $250 on Gazelle.

Both services recommend that you wipe your device before you send it to them, but they will also wipe it for you. And of course, your item will need to be inspected before you get your money. The inspectors are looking for scratches you might have missed, or cracks on your phone’s screen that you overlooked.

A spokeswoman for Nextworth said the price may be lowered a bit if you don’t have your old device’s original packaging, or if it was engraved.

But both companies will accept damaged phones, so don’t despair if you put your last gadget through the ringer.

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Nearly 17.5 million Apple, Android devices activated Christmas Day